Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. Stock Upgraded (SPR)

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings (NYSE:SPR) has been upgraded by TheStreet Ratings from a hold to buy.

Editor's Note: Any reference to TheStreet Ratings and its underlying recommendation does not reflect the opinion of TheStreet, Inc. or any of its contributors including Jim Cramer or Stephanie Link.

NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Spirit AeroSystems Holdings (NYSE: SPR) has been upgraded by TheStreet Ratings from hold to buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, increase in net income, good cash flow from operations, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and solid stock price performance. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had somewhat disappointing return on equity.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

SPR's revenue growth has slightly outpaced the industry average of 4.8%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 10.1%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.

The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Aerospace & Defense industry. The net income increased by 169.7% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from -$134.40 million to $93.70 million.

Net operating cash flow has significantly increased by 80.13% to $185.00 million when compared to the same quarter last year. In addition, SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS HOLDINGS has also vastly surpassed the industry average cash flow growth rate of -0.93%.

The current debt-to-equity ratio, 0.59, is low and is below the industry average, implying that there has been successful management of debt levels. Although the company had a strong debt-to-equity ratio, its quick ratio of 0.85 is somewhat weak and could be cause for future problems.

Powered by its strong earnings growth of 169.14% and other important driving factors, this stock has surged by 78.48% over the past year, outperforming the rise in the S&P 500 Index during the same period. We feel that the stock's sharp appreciation over the last year has driven it to a price level which is now somewhat expensive compared to the rest of its industry. The other strengths this company shows, however, justify the higher price levels.

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a non-original equipment manufacturer (OEM) that designs and manufactures commercial aerostructures worldwide. It operates in three segments: Fuselage Systems, Propulsion Systems, and Wing Systems. Shares are up 68.2% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday.